Eruption of Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat

Eruption of Soufriere Hills Volcano, Montserrat

The Soufriere Hills Volcano burped again in late July 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) onboard the Terra satellite captured this image of the volcano on July 26, 2005. The volcano occupies the tiny island of Montserrat, which appears in the right half of the picture. A very faint plume of volcanic ash can be seen blowing westward from the volcano’s summit.

The Soufriere Hills Volcano experienced a major eruption in 1995, the first historical eruption recorded since the 17th century. The 1995 eruption marked the beginning of increased volcanic activity that eventually led to the evacuation of the southern half of the island, as well as the destruction of the capital city.

NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team.